Even Republicans Aren’t Wild About the Job This Congress Is Doing

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Public approval of the job Congress is doing averaged 19 percent this year, according to Gallup — the eighth straight year in which less than one in five Americans has been satisfied with the job lawmakers are doing.

GOP leaders might find a silver lining in the dismal numbers: Congressional approval among Republicans jumped from 18 percent last month to 29 percent this month after both chambers passed tax cut legislation. And Republican approval ratings for the year averaged 28 percent, the highest since 2006. But even Republicans aren’t as positive about the GOP-led Congress as they were in February, when they gave lawmakers a 50 percent approval rating.

Congressional approval measured by Gallup averages 31 percent since 1974 — and Gallup data might provide a warning for lawmakers as they try to hash out a budget and avoid a government shutdown later this month or next: “The lowest annual average, 14% in 2013, came when Congress' failure to pass a budget led to a partial government shutdown in the fall of that year.”

As editor in chief, Yuval Rosenberg oversees all aspects of The Fiscal Times' website and email newsletter. His writing has appeared in publications including BusinessWeek, CNBC.com, CNNMoney.com, Fast Company, Fortune, Newsweek, Money and Time.